Antarctic Permafrost And Soils (ANTPAS)

Antarctic permafrost forms an integral part of the terrestrial cryosphere, yet information on its distribution, thickness, age, and physical and geochemical properties is highly fragmented and absent for large sectors of the region. At the same time, active layer and permafrost conditions are increasingly recognised to be highly sensitive to climate change. Such changes can create important responses in regional hydrology, ecosystems functioning, landscape stability and human environmental impacts. At the same time Antarctic permafrost and soils archive high resolution long-term (Ma) records of past environmental change and biological activity.

The SCAR Antarctic Permafrost, Soils and Periglacial Environments (ANTPAS) Expert Group aims to develop an internationally coordinated, web-accessible database and monitoring system on Antarctic permafrost and soils.